No Heart Beats Alone
by xXClockworkAngelxX
Summary: Ciel is to meet Her Majesty. But he gets kidnapped by a mysterious stranger and abuses him. During this time, Ciel learned he had the power to transform himself into a demon. When all hope was lost, another mysterious man rescues the young earl and takes him into shelter with a group known as the Shadowhunters. What other secrets will Ciel learn? Inspired by The Infernal Devices.
1. Prologue

**So this story was inspired by one of my favorite series "The Infernal Device" by the awesome Cassandra Clare. I'm not sure if I will follow the trilogy but I will surely try to follow the first book "Clockwork Angel" except Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler style! Yay! I hope it comes out okay for you all. But please do enjoy. ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler or Clockwork Angel.**

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**Prologue**

_**London, October 1888**_

Ciel was not amused.

At all.

The boy tightened his grip on the letter he had in his hand with the mark from the Queen of England as he gazed out the window of the carriage he was in.

Her Majesty had insisted meeting with Ciel for once in her lifetime. Ciel hadn't really cared much for the visit. He merely thought it was a way to discuss something more personal at hand. It wasn't that he wasn't anxious to see the Queen for the first time;he just thought the visit wasn't necessary. Whatever it was that Her Majesty wanted to talk about,he was sure it was only anoher mission he had to do. There couldn't be anything more personal than that. He just thought it was all so troublesome to have to take a trek to meet with the Queen. Of course it was an honor, then again, Ciel was never a fan of social events.

Ciel sighed as he rested his head on his hand, continuing looking out the window. The scenery was drearily gray. Rain drummed down onto the tops of small houses while some people in dark clothing were making their way through London, holding umbrellas tightly around their grasps.

If only Ciel would've known it was going to rain, he would've brought his umbrella.

What a _great_ day today will be, is what Ciel kept thinking to himself. Not only was the outside so gloomy, but the boy began to think about the mansion he left behind and how disoriented it might be once he gets back home. His servants were all so clumsy and had done a couple of things wrong and/or shouldn't had been doing in the first place. Poor butler of his, Tanaka. He had to do most of the cleaning around the place, something an old man shouldn't be doing, but he never complained.

In the middle of his thoughts about his kitchen burning down due to Bardroy's idea of cooking with a flamethrower, Ciel got interrupted by the sudden stop of the carriage. The boy raised an eyebrow as he looked back out the window. The place he was now didn't look like a place the Queen would be. In fact, it wasn't even a place at all; it was the middle of a street.

The driver dropped down and opened the carriage door. He grabbed Ciel's hand and pulled him out roughly, almost causing the boy to fall.

"I must say, what is the meaning of this?" Ciel growled, frustrated from how he was treated.

The driver said nothing as he hopped back on the carriage and rode away.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? This isn't the Queen's place!" Ciel shouted after the driver but the carriage did not stop and disappeared around a corner.

Ciel hissed as he clenched his fist. "Was that man mad? He dropped me off at some unknown location. How dare he?"

A chilly wind blew in, causing Ciel to shiver. He bit his lips, tightly held onto his cape with one hand while holding onto his top hat with the other. Here he was, in the middle of a street as drops of rain stung his neck. His small hands, inside their unsubstantial gloves, were clammy and wet with rain. The boy had no idea where to go. The street was unfamiliar to him.

"Are you Earl Phantomhive?"

Just then, a man swept in front of Ciel, wearing a long black coat and a tall hat. His eyes were peculiarly bulging, almost like a frog's and his skin looked rough like scar tissue. The man look all but welcoming, then again the man knew the boy and addressed him like any proper noble should. He must be one of the Queen's servants.

"Yes. And you are?" Ciel questioned.

"Her Majesty sent me. Come with me."

"Where is she?"

But the man was already walking away. Ciel sighed decided to follow the man whether he liked to or not. He followed the man until they both came upon another carriage, gleaming black. Gold letters had been painted across its side, but the rain and mist were too thick for Ciel to read them clearly.

The door to the carriage opened and another man leaned out. He wore a black coat and tall hat as well, covering his face. "Earl Ciel Phantomhive?"

Ciel nodded.

The man smiled. "Ciel Phantomhive. What a delight to make your acquaintance at last. I am Mr. Black. Her Majesty sent me to accompany you to her place."

"Understood but what I don't understand is why must I need to take two carriages to reach to her place? I'm sure I've told the other driver to take me to her place," Ciel said as he clutched his wet cloak around himself.

"There was a sudden emergency she needed to attend to, and she bids an apology for the inconvenience. And that other driver knew nothing of where to take you since the Queen was out on business. That is why I am here to pick you up and care for you in the meantime until her arrival. She sent ahead a note for you, however," Mr. Black said as he held out letter similar to the one Ciel was holding.

Ciel took it and turned away to read it, to see if what this stranger was telling him was true. It was indeed a short note from the Queen herself, the same writing and the same introduction with "My cute boy". It said her apology for not being available at the moment to meet with him. She let him know that she trusted to her bring him safety until she is done. This was indeed a note from her.

Ciel sighed and slipped the note inside his pocket, turning back to look at Mr. Black. "Very well. Where shall we be waiting for her?"

The man smiled and opened the carriage door, signaling the boy to step in. "She has a separate house where she makes most of her private meetings. We shall wait for her there. Please do get in, Earl Phantomhive. We wouldn't want the Queen's most valuable Guard Dog to get sick."

Ciel nodded once as he took a step up the carriage until he was able to read the letters printed on the side of the carriage: "The Pandemonuim Club."

"What does that mean?" Ciel asked, wondering what strange name would be given to a carriage belonging to the Queen.

"Nothing you need to worry about," said as he pulled Ciel in and closed the door behind.

Ciel felt as though today he was being pushed over which was not respectful at all. Then again, almost no one wanted to be respectful to a boy like him.

"Do settle in, Earl Phantomhive. We've a long ride ahead of us," Mr. Black said as he smiled, his teeth gleaming.

The other man who guided Ciel got in front as the driver and started the carriage.

And all Ciel could do was turn his head towards the other window as the carriage lurched forward into the rain.

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**A short chapter for the prologue but I hope it's enough. **

**So, this story starts off with Ciel being given a letter from Her Majesty to visit her for the first time (yes, I know Ciel has seen her face-to-face before but in this story, it's his first time). He was dropped off at some unknown location by the first driver then guided to another carriage by another driver who leads him to a man named Mr. Black. He tells Ciel all he needs to know and whatnot before driving him off.**

**In the actual story, "Clockwork Angel", there are two women called Mrs. Black and Mrs. Dark. I only took one and decided to make Mr. Black. The Pandemonuim Club is something Cassandra created, and I just borrowed it. I will reference all the things I take from the book down here for you all to know about.**

**What will happen next? Please tune in for more and review. Thank you. ^_^**


	2. Chapter One

**Here's the first chapter. Last time, Ciel was heading off to meet the Queen only to be getting himself into a complication until he met who told him everything he needed to know. What will happened next? We'll see. Enjoy. ^_^**

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**Chapter One**

_Beyond this place of wrath and tears_

_Looms but the Horror of the shade_

_-_**William Ernest Henley, "Invictus"**

* * *

A month.

More like an eternity for the young boy.

Ciel stood still as he stared out the foggy, locked window before him, trying to find the goodness of the scenery outside. What kind of beauty can come from looking outside? There was nothing but a vast field of dead grass. The only good thing about it was that it was his freedom, the only place where he can run free and get some help. He wondered if people even knew he was missing.

Ciel winced as he took a step and turned away from the window and instead stared at himself in the mirror provided for him. The boy had grown accustomed to his looks for a while now. It was almost close to the exact same punishment he had gone through when his old mansion burned down along with his parents. He was kidnapped as well and tortured by people he knew nothing about. Like in the past, he was again beaten, red marks and bruises on his once smooth skin. He was fed nothing but bread and water, and it showed that he was hungry from his small, fragile body. The only clothing he wore was an over-sized bloody, torn white long sleeve shirt. He was stripped from his noble clothes that now he looked like any other homeless stranger in the streets.

Ciel had no method of defense; his only gun was taken away from him, and he had no way of communicating his imprisonment to anyone though he wrote letters upon letters, addressed to anyone that came into mind at the moment he wrote the letter. Most of them were written to the Queen, wondering why he was kept in such a place before meeting her, but he usually crumbled those and threw them away.

This was a nightmare come true, a dream he wished to have to never go through with it again.

The door to his room opened and in came a maid named Miranda who always came by to pick up Ciel for his afternoon training.

"Sir, it's time," she said.

Ciel sighed. He knew if he refused, Miranda would force him to move out no matter how much he kicked or screamed. He would only waste energy which was something he rarely had anymore and knew it should be saved until later. If only he agreed with taking Tanaka with him as the old man insisted. Maybe none of this would've happened.

Ciel sighed once more before turning his body towards Miranda. "Very well."

They walked down the dark hallways, the ones that Ciel had memorized from start to finish and vice versa. He loathed these hallways; they were always so dark that he could barely see Miranda in front of him even though she was just a few centimeters away from him. He had tried to escape a few times while being led down to the basement, however, somehow Miranda always got him, so he stopped trying the third time.

Once they reached the door that led to the basement, Ciel bit his lip and stood still at the entrance. He hated going down there. The room was always hot and wet like a swamp and to top that off, there was always that awful scent of blood looming around. But the room wasn't the only thing he hated; he hated the activities being done down there...to him. It was his torture chamber, the one place he hated the most out of everything in this house.

Miranda pushed him down the stairs forcefully as Ciel tried to push back, but he was much too weak to fight back. He really didn't want to go down there again. Not anymore.

Once the two were at the basement, the man of the house was already there like he always was, wearing his usual black coat, top hat, and black gloves despite the hot. His face was always gray and his eyes were pitch black, almost like he didn't have any eye balls.

"Leave us now, Miranda," Mr. Black said as he gave Ciel a wicked smile. "And shut the door behind you."

Expressionless as always, Miranda bowed and left the two males behind. Ciel tried not to wince at the shutting of the door, knowing he was stuck in this airless place once more with this awful, wretched man.

"Now, young earl, you look worse than before," Mr. Black said as he walked over to Ciel and reached to touch the boy's cheek only to have his hand slapped away.

"Don't touch me," Ciel said sternly, knowing that the man would still do it one way or another.

Mr. Black's smile only grew as he walked over to the large cage at the corner of the basement. "Let's not waste time, okay?" He unlocked the door as it squeaked open. "Get in."

Ciel frowned. He didn't want to go in. He didn't want to be trapped in that unpleasant cage like an caged up animal. He refused.

"I don't want to," Ciel stared at the man.

"Now, young earl, you know you have to. Unless you want to go through this the hard way like last time," Mr. Black said. "Now get in like the little bad dog you are."

"Tch."

Ciel had no choice. He had to. He remembered the first week of this procedure. He used to struggle against the man's large arms, bit him a couple of times tasting the sour blood, but was never successful at escaping. He was shoved inside the cage with him yelling and screaming harsh words. Mr. Black would take out his large, black whip and would hit Ciel as hard as he could with it if the boy wouldn't be quiet. After Ciel was too weak to even fight back, the man ordered him to Change. The boy had no idea what the man was talking about until a few more beatings later with the man saying to transform into a demon. Ciel had thought the man was crazy; he couldn't transform into anything especially not a demon. But after a few more days, Mr. Black had figured out a way to train the boy into changing himself which was an unpleasant experience, so painful.

It had grown easier since then, the Changing, however the pain was still unbearable. Ciel still didn't understand what in the world was going on with him being able to transform into a demon. Mr. Black never told him anything but for him to Change. The man has told Ciel many times that it was the Queen who wanted for the boy to transform into a demon, and that the young earl shouldn't go against Her Majesty's orders. The reason was still unexplained as to why, but Ciel grew tired of having to ask over and over again. He would get beaten either way if he didn't shut up.

Ciel growled as he walked inside the cage. Mr. Black slowly shut the door and locked it before standing a few feet away.

"Now, young earl, Change," the man said.

Ciel hissed. He never liked to ever be told what to do. But he had the underhand in this situation. He couldn't refuse, if he did, there would come pain. The boy was tired of pain. He didn't want to have to deal with it more than he already had, but he knew he was going to receive it one way or another from the man's hands or the Change itself.

Ciel rather wanted to be hurt by himself than anyone else, so he decided to Change and just get it over with. He tightly shut his eyes as he concentrated on the training techniques he had been taught thus far.

A stinging pain ran through his body like tiny needles. It was always the first step. Then he felt his nails grow longer and pitch dark just as half of his arms were covered in black, reptile like skin. He had to open his mouth a bit for the long fangs to grow out as his gums bled from the sudden growth just like they always did. Two horns emerged from under the midnight hair as they sent striking pain through the boy's head then curved a bit almost like a ram's horns. This step was new, something Ciel hadn't experienced before, so the unexpected pain was fierce.

The transformation went on a pause as Ciel needed a break from all the immense pain. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down though his chest hurt from even breathing. He didn't want to open his eyes and see the monster he had created of himself; it was always a horrid figure.

"Good job, young earl. Good job," Mr. Black praised as he clapped. "You even managed to make those two horns appeared. You are indeed improving, little dog."

Ciel opened his eyes half way and focused below. He felt his hands tightly around the cage bars, causing them to bend due to the increased strength he received, but didn't even felt them until the numbness disappeared. He didn't want to look at his reflection in the mirror that was always in front of Ciel. He didn't want to be frightened by the monster that is himself.

"I see you don't want to look at yourself," Mr. Black said as he began to jot down some notes. "I can't blame you. You are becoming more and more uglier as you improve."

Ciel bit down on his lips and his crimson blood dripped down to the floor. "Please...make this stop..."

"Hmm? I can't make it stop. I'm not the one controlling your transformation, young earl. It is you and you only. I am merely teaching you how to unleash your form. You should be thanking me. It is what the Queen wants."

Ciel felt hot tears welled up in his eyes, but he dared not cry. Especially not in front of this man. So, he began to slowly let himself relax further until the transformation had worn out along with his energy. The boy fell limp to the floor, almost laying dead-like.

"Tired already? You must learn how to keep yourself steady, little dog," Mr. Black said as he unlocked the cage and carried Ciel out. "But you did well today, young earl. No problems or anything. Maybe next time, who knows, you might even grow demonic wings."

Ciel could only think about his mansion and the smiling faces of his loyal servants. He wished for them to come and save him. He missed their clumsiness and their kindness they always gave to their master even if he paid no attention to them half of the time. He wanted to go back to that lifestyle. Even if it wasn't that perfect, it was still better than this one.

"Miranda, come!" Mr. Black shouted, still carrying the boy.

In seconds, the maid entered and bowed. "Yes, sir?"

"Take the boy back to his room. He must be tired, so before you set him off to bed, please give him some food."

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Black handed Ciel over to Miranda as she took him and bowed before exiting the room. Ciel was still holding onto consciousness as much as he could, and the awful scent of Miranda's perfume kept him up. He had always wondered why the maid loved wearing the perfume which smelled like rusty iron.

Miranda entered the room that was cold compared to the basement and set the boy in a sitting position on the bed. Without a word, she left the room, leaving Ciel alone like always.

Ciel's eyelids grew heavy, but he forced them to stay up. His breathing had reached its normal pace though the pain was still there. His body felt weak; he couldn't even pick up his arm to wipe off the blood from his mouth. He could only stare down at his trembling, cut hands before him.

Of course he was hungry and needed food. Of course he was hurt and needed medical attention. But what Ciel wanted most in the world right now was to go back home.

"That's all I want…"Ciel whispered. "I want to go back home…"

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**Poor Ciel. I hope you get out of this awful place too.**

**In this chapter, a month has passed since Ciel has been taken away from the last time he needed to meet with the Queen. He had to stay in a dark, isolated house with and a maid named Miranda. In this place, had trained Ciel to transform into a demon, something the boy didn't knew he could do. It was all torture for Ciel, and he wanted to go back home.**

**In the actual book, "Clockwork Angel", there is a maid called Miranda which I borrowed from Cassandra. The thing called Change was also from Cassandra. **

**Tune in for more and please review. Thank you. ^_^**


	3. Chapter Two

**Here's the second chapter. Last time, Ciel has been trapped for a month now and was going through the process of being tortured into transforming into a demon, something he didn't knew he could do. It was basically a day in the life of an imprisoned Ciel.**

**Now, I know most of you must be thinking as to why Ciel wouldn't just escape by transforming into a demon. Well, all I can tell you really right now is that the story would going through too simple. As bad as this sounds, I wanted Ciel to suffer as much as he could. Besides, it adds more to the drama that I try to convey in this story. But some time in later chapters, there will be an explanation as to why Ciel wouldn't do it instead of my reason. **

**Anyway, just a little note. Now, enjoy. ^_^**

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**Chapter Two**

_Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape._

**-William S. Burroughs**

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In a matter of seconds, Miranda entered the room with a tray of food. She set it on the only desk in the room then turned to Ciel.

"Your food, sir," she said before she bowed and left.

Ciel observed Miranda throughout all his imprisonment. She had never spoken more than six words at a time about anything else other than what she was doing or told to do. Did Miranda ever thought about anything? She was always emotionless that it was hard to read what she was feeling or thinking. Not to mention how quickly she did everything she was told to do.

Ciel decided to not think anymore about Miranda and limped over to his food. He looked down to the tray and saw the same piece of bread and glass of water he was given every single day. He grew tired of it and wished for other food but as hungry as he was, this was enough to please him.

Ciel took a hold of the bread and bit into it, chewing the first bite slowly, tasting the stale taste, before finishing the bread with quick bites. He drank the water quickly too, passing down the bread to his stomach. The boy always ate fast that he found himself wanting more though realizing he won't be eating again until the next day.

Ciel looked out the window and noticed the sunset coloring the night time, meaning it was close to bedtime. But the young earl didn't want to sleep; he was frighten to have to dream the same nightmares he's been having since he got here though he knew he needed the energy to carry on the next day.

Many times has the thought of dying come into Ciel's mind, but he refused to go through with it. He had a reason to continue living and that was to avenge his parents. It became his ultimate goal, and he will not let anyone or anything stop him from reaching it. That is why the boy thought he should attempt to escape yet another time.

With the small rest and food given, Ciel was able to regain some of his energy to carry on his plan. He has been thinking this through for a while now and though he should execute it today than later. It might just work.

Ciel grabbed his most prized possession which was a beautiful sapphire ring that has been passed down the Phantomhive family and placed it back to its rightful place, on his left thumb. He hadn't wore it because he didn't want it to get stained with the evil being done to him and wouldn't want it to get destroyed.

Ciel looked around the room and found the biggest vase there was. He carried it and walked over to the door and sat right beside it. He knew Miranda would come back some time once the sun has completely vanished behind the horizon to pick up the tray and put him to bed. The boy thought this would be the perfect chance to attack Miranda unexpectedly and run off and out the house. He knew Mr. Black would still be down at the basement because it figured the man was always there, giving the boy a chance to escape. It has to work, Ciel was hoping it would. He needed to get out of here.

Just as Ciel had predicted, Miranda opened the door and took a step in just as the sun disappeared. Without second thoughts, Ciel raised the vase and smashed it against the back of the maid's head, causing her to fall to the ground. Ciel didn't bother to check to see if Miranda was alive, so he dashed out the room and down the dark hallways. It was a good thing he memorized the hallways, so he had no trouble going downstairs to the first floor. However, since he was only taken down to the basement, the boy had no idea where to head off once he reached the first floor.

Ciel stopped for a while to breath, looking around for the exit. He didn't think he would've gotten this far since Miranda always got him, but there was no other sound but his thumping heart and heavy breathing. He might had been successful as to have killed the maid but didn't had time to think about that.

Ciel decided to turn to his right and see if he could spot the exit, however, he spotted something else he shouldn't had.

"Miranda? Is that you? Was that you making all that noise?" the thundering voice of Mr. Black was heard through the darkness. A candle was lit and the figure of Mr. Black was shown, looking just ahead to Ciel.

Ciel tried not to gasp loudly as he thought he was sure to have been seen, but the man said Miranda's name, so he might still have the time to move out.

The boy quickly walked the other direction and looked for the front door.

"Miranda?" Mr. Black continued to call out, sounding closer and closer.

Ciel bit his lip, hoping he won't be spotted. Just then, he saw light in front of him and a large door came into view. It was the exit. Ciel picked up his pace and dashed out the door, the sudden cool breeze sweeping through him. He was finally out after a month. He was free.

"Miranda? No…Phantomhive?!" Mr. Black shouted as he too walked out the door just in time to see the boy sprinting down the pathway.

Ciel ran as fast as his legs could carry him, hoping his energy wouldn't run out until he was able to reach downtown London wherever it was. He dared not look back and continued forward.

"Phantomhive! Get back here this instant!" Mr. Black growled, sounding closer which only caused Ciel to run faster. The boy was so close; he can't be stopped now.

Suddenly, there was a carriage out front with a large man beside it. Ciel dashed towards him and shook him fiercely.

"Sir, I need you to get me out of here. Please take me to London," Ciel panted.

The man grabbed onto the boy's arm tightly and looked down to him. Ciel gasped, recognizing the bulging eyes and rough skin. It was the driver that led him to Mr. Black in the first place.

"Let me go!" Ciel snapped as he struggled underneath the driver's grasp.

"Don't let him escape!" Mr. Black called out as he grew closer and closer to the two.

Ciel continued to struggle, but he knew he was no match for the strong driver. This was the end. There was no way he was going to get out now. He had failed once more.

"Urk!"

Just then, the driver let go of Ciel and fell to the floor with a loud thud. Ciel blinked in confusion as he noticed an eating utensil pierced right through the driver's forehead. No blood came out but instead tiny pieces of metal and electrical sparks were shown. After realizing that he was still pursued by Mr. Black, Ciel was about to run until he was lifted off his feet and carried back towards the house, going passed Mr. Black.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! He's mine!" Mr. Black shouted from behind.

Ciel blinked from shock as he felt being carried back inside the dark house. He tried to see who was carrying him and could only think it was another unknown worker for Mr. Black. What could be the other reason of why he was carried back in the house he took so much time getting out of?

"Let me go!" Ciel hissed as he pounded his fists against whoever it was holding him.

The person didn't respond as they dashed through the house without bumping into anything, almost like they could see perfectly in the dark and reached the hot basement.

Ciel didn't like where this was going. "I don't want to! I don't want to be here! Let me go!"

The person ignored Ciel and kicked a brick wall, causing a large hole to be made. The person ran through the hole with Ciel in arms and into another room Ciel knew nothing about. It was a tunnel that was lit up with an eerie green light, making the small stream of water flowing through the center look green, and there was an exit at the end straight ahead that was sealed with metallic bars. To top it off, there was a foul smell almost like spoiled milk.

The person dashed through the tunnel about half way once they spotted a small opening on one side of the tunnel, big enough for the two to fit inside.

"Get in," the person spoke as they let go of Ciel and pushed him gently inside.

Ciel did as he was told though he didn't knew why and squeezed himself towards the back. The person, which Ciel heard was a man, squeezed in as well.

"Who are-" But before any other word escaped Ciel's mouth, a large, gloved hand pressed against the boy's mouth, forcing him to stay quiet.

"Young earl?" the thundering, unmistakable voice of Mr. Black sounded. "Oh young earl! Where are you?"

The two hidden males stayed silent as foot steps were heard through the tunnel, water splashing along. Ciel looked through the crack and saw the shadow that should belong to Mr. Black, however, it was too absurd to be his. Maybe it was the water changing the shadow.

"Young earl!" Mr. Black hissed. "You do know what will happen to you if you escaped again, don't you?"

Just then, a figure appeared right in front of the crack and the sight was something that made Ciel's heart stop. It wasn't the figure of a human; it was the figure of what looked like a gargoyle. The creature growled, baring it's sharp teeth and looked around for a while. The boy didn't know what in the world was going on, but he sure did know that he didn't want to be found by that hideous thing.

The creature huffed and walked along the tunnel, away from the crack. The man kept his hand firmly over Ciel's mouth as he listened attentively. During the meantime, Ciel examined the man, noticing he wore a fine suit, one that would be a waste to spoil in situations like these, had raven hair and piercing red eyes that seemed to glowed despite the eerie green light shining on them. He looked fairly tall, taller than Mr. Black as Ciel could predict, and the boy had to admit he was well built although it appeared as though he had a slim figure but something about the board shoulders made him think the man had a built body.

After a couple of the scary silence, the man peeked out the crack to look around before getting out and nodding at the boy for approval. Ciel slowly got out and landed on the green water as he too looked around. There was no sign of the gargoyle or Mr. Black, so hopefully the coast was clear.

"He got angry fairly quickly," the man said with a smirk. "Couldn't control his anger. How childish."

"Are you talking about the monster that walked by?" Ciel whispered, afraid he might be heard.

The man smiled. "Yes. Now, how about you? Are you feeling alright?"

Ciel sweat dropped. "Oh I feel alright. Just fine. Yes, of course. It's not like I'm starving or having to deal with bruises and cuts all over my body. Of course, I'm fine."

The man chuckled. "I wouldn't had guessed you had a sense of humor."

"I wouldn't had guessed you came out of nowhere and nearly scared the delights out of me. Who are you anyway?"

The man raised a finger up to his lips and gave out a devious smile. "I'm simply one hell of a butler."

Ciel frowned, not amused at not having to hear the man's name, but he decided to not press on that further. "Did the Queen sent you for me?"

"I'm afraid not. I didn't know anyone lived in this house until I spotted you running down the pathway with that man behind you."

"So then, why are you here?"

The man smiled and carried Ciel once more, heading down the tunnel and towards the bars covered exit. "I was simply here to investigate this abandoned whore house and find some evidence."

"Whore house? This was a whore house?" Ciel said, astonished since this dark house looked nothing like a whore house...or that he even seen one before.

"Indeed. Apparently, it has been abandoned for some time now. It's incredible that anyone thought of taking this place and have mundanes as hostages. You were being kept here, weren't you?"

"Yes. For some time now. I was trying to escape."

The man chuckled as he kicked the bars once he reached them and knocked them down, shocking Ciel from the massive power the man held.

"Well, you were obviously not going to escape the way you were going down. You were surrounded by two men. I would've left you to get captured," the man said as he walked out the tunnel and back outside.

"Then why didn't you?" Ciel questioned.

"Because I was given orders to gather evidence, and you happen to appear."

"So now I'm evidence? For what? Is there a search for me or something?"

"A search for you? Possibly. I do not know who you are, to be frank." The man suddenly stopped and darted his eyes in all directions. "He's coming back."

"The monster? Why can't we leave through the front door?"

"And get caught?"

"Well..."

"I went through here, so I can avoid having to have that thing follow me. The awful smell can mess around with his scent of smell, so he won't detect us easily."

The man then grabbed a hold of Ciel tightly in his arms and sprinted away from the house's property. Ciel was amazed at how incredibly fast the man was running, faster than any other person he had seen; it was like this man wasn't human at all.

"Hey, wait! Where are you taking me?" Ciel said, wiggling from the man's grasp.

The man stopped after gaining a couple miles away from the house and looked down to the boy in his arms. "I'm taking you where I currently live."

"Why? You know that I've been considered kidnapped for a while now. I would like to be taken back home."

The man sighed. "Very well. Where is your home then?"

"I-" Ciel paused as he looked around. He really didn't have a clue where he was or where his house was. This part of London, if it even was London, was unfamiliar to him. "-I don't really know where my mansion is."

"Well then, I only know one place I can take you and that is where I will take you," the man said as he once more grabbed tightly onto the boy, careful for him not to slip off his arms and began running once more.

"Wait! You can't take me anywhere else! I don't even know you! What if you're just another kidnapper and here I am thinking you are trying to save me! You still have many-" But no other words spilled from Ciel's mouth as his energy had all been wasted and caused the boy to fall asleep instantly.

The man looked down at the sleeping boy and couldn't help but to smile at the cute face he was receiving. "Sleep now, little one."

* * *

**And that is that.**

**So, Ciel thought of escaping again and this time he seemed to have gotten pretty far. He managed to get passed Miranda which he never was able to in the past and was able to get out of the house although he was spotted by Mr. Black and caught by the driver. However, another man entered the scene and saved Ciel from getting caught. Then some weird looking monster came into view as the two males were hidden. Could it be...?**

**Anyway, whoever could the man who saved Ciel be, I wonder. Hmm...**

**Tune in for more and please review. Thank you. ^_^**


	4. Chapter Three

**Here's the third chapter. Last time, Ciel was on his way to escaping on his own until he was close to getting captured. Then a mysterious man came in and saved the boy from getting captured again. Who is this mysterious man and what was his purpose for saving Ciel? We'll soon find out. Enjoy.^_^**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

_Love, hope, fear, faith-these make humanity;_  
_These are its sign and note and character_

-**Robert Browning, Paracelsus**

* * *

_In the dream, Ciel was locked inside the same cage he has been locked in at Mr. Black's house down at the basement. He could not forget the awful heat and the smell of blood. The boy was on his knees with his hands firmly around the cage's bars, trying to set himself free. Then the gray face of Mr. Black appeared with the same ruthless smirk, ready to slash at Ciel with his long, thick whip only to have been shockingly transformed in a blink of an eye to a horrid creature, a gargoyle. Ciel shrieked voicelessly, but the monster did not seem to hear._

_Suddenly, the monster vanished entirely along with the basement and cage. Ciel was now in the middle of a beautiful field of white roses, the flower he loves. Then in front of him appeared his parents, Vincent and Rachel, unharmed and fully alive just as they were before the mansion fire._

_"Mother…Father…" Ciel whispered, able to hear himself._

_His parents smiled widely to their beloved son. Rachel reached out to him with her arms wide open._

_"Come, Ciel. Come to us," she said._

_"Yes, son. We both missed you very much," Vincent said as he too reached out to the boy with one arm._

_"I've missed you too," Ciel said as he was able to get up from his knees and walk towards them._

_"That's it, son. You're almost there," Rachel smiled. "You're closing in to us once more."_

_"We longed to be with you again, Ciel," Vincent said._

_"Me too…" By now, Ciel felt as though he was hypnotized by his parents' figures in front of him. They were so majestic, almost angelic that they couldn't be real. But they were right there, right at his grasp._

_Once Ciel reached his parents, they all participated in a group hug, tight enough to had crushed the boy's body, but he didn't mind in the least. He was finally in his parents' arms just like old times._

_"I love you both very much," Ciel said, having a sob created in his throat._

_Just then, his parents pushed Ciel away. The boy looked up to them with a confused look as he noticed the sad faces of his parents._

_"Mother? Father? Is something wrong?" Ciel said._

_"We're sorry, son," Vincent began. "We tried to love you."_

_"But it isn't easy to love a child that isn't human in the least…" Rachel said as she covered her now weeping face._

_Ciel hesitated. "Not human?"_

_"You're a thing, Ciel. We don't even know what you are," Vincent said, hugging his wife to comfort her._

_"A…thing?"_

_"We're so sorry, Ciel."_

_"But I'm your son and I…love you…"_

* * *

Ciel woke with a cry, his eyes flying open. He took deep breaths to calm himself down from the nightmare he was just in. Sweat and a slight fever engulfed his face, but he didn't care in the least.

"Sir? Sir, are you okay?"

An unfamiliar voice called out to the boy. Ciel turned his head over to his left to see a woman with a slightly darker skin complexion than his, silverfish, lavender hair tied in a braid, purple lip stick on her lips, dark blue eyes, and wore a purple and white maid dress with a decoration hat. She appeared to had been washing a small cloth since the boy noticed a wet cloth on her hand along with a bucket of water on the floor below.

"Who are you?" Ciel questioned, keeping his dream to himself and rather focus on the present time.

The woman opened her mouth but no words spilled out. She instead bowed slightly before rushing out the room, leaving a confused boy behind.

Shaking his head in mere confusion, Ciel noticed that he was in a room he had never seen before. There was a wooden book shelve at one corner with no books at all, a wooden wardrobe next to it, a small writing desk just near the window, a small red couch, and a couple of paintings and vases to decorate the room. The boy noticed he was on top of a large bed with scarlet bed covers nicely decorated with gold laces in all different designs. This was indeed not the room he was kept in Mr. Black's house nor his missed room back at his mansion.

"Well, isn't this a miracle? You woken up."

Ciel jerked his head towards the door to see the same woman from earlier along with a shorter woman enter the room. The new female was indeed short but still taller than Ciel, she had dark hair that passed a bit down her shoulders, red lips, and eerie colored eyes with smudged dark scarlet around them in the most strangest way. She wore a small black dress with a white apron like design tied with a large white bow at the back. She had black and white stripped stockings with knee length, black boots. She also wore a silver necklace with a strange design, almost like a horse shoe figure but not quite. If Ciel could've guessed, he believed her to not be much older than him.

The small woman smiled and walked closer to the bed. "It appears that your wounds have healed rather quickly. How lucky of you."

Ciel blinked. It was true. He had forgotten how he used to hurt from all the beatings he received from Mr. Black. Now it was like nothing of that happened.

"Who are you? And what happened to Mr. Black and his dark house? Where am I?" CIel began to ask questions that he wanted immediate answers.

"I know you are rather confused, believe me, I know. But I think it would be better if we talked this out at the dinner table where we can get some food in your stomach. You must be hungry, am I right?"

The low grumble from Ciel's stomach said it all.

The small woman giggled. "It is decided then. We'll talk as we eat. I promise I will give you as much answers as I can. In the meantime, Hannah..." The woman turned to the taller woman. "Would you mind helping the boy get dressed?"

The taller woman, that appeared to be named Hannah, bowed. "Yes, my lady."

"Dressed?" Ciel said. He then looked down and pushed the covers away from him to notice that he was bare naked. He quickly covered himself, a blush forming in his pale face. "I don't want to get dressed."

The small woman raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Why not? Don't tell me you want to go out like that."

"I…I…"

The small woman stared at the boy in front of her until she broke into laughter upon realizing the boy's discomfort. "I am terribly sorry! I completely forgot you were a boy. Of course you would feel uneasy about having a woman dress you."

Ciel continued with his blush.

"No need to worry. I won't let a woman dress you. My apologies. Hannah…" the small woman turned to the other. "I would like for you to get the butler."

Hannah bowed. "Yes, my lady." Then she left the room.

The small woman giggled as she looked at the red face of the boy. "How inconsiderate I am, am I right? I am so sorry."

Ciel clutched tighter onto the sheets. "Just who are you?"

"And there goes another careless act. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alice Liddell, the head of this London Institute."

"London Institute?"

In a flash, Hannah came back with a tall man behind her. Ciel nearly choked on his saliva. The man was the same man who got him out from Mr. Black's house. He could not mistaken those piercing red eyes.

"Here he is. Okay then," Alice turned to the man. "I want you to dress this boy and get him ready for the day. We're going to have breakfast at the dinner table, so please take him there after you are done. I'm sure he is dying to have some answers."

The man bowed. "Yes, my lady."

Alice smiled back to Ciel. "Don't worry. I'll be telling you everything I know once you are done getting dressed. It's a promise." With that said, she exited the room with Hannah close behind.

Ciel gulped upon having to be alone with the man who merely stared down at him. The boy didn't know whether to talk first or wait until something happened. Apparently, that choice was made for him as the man smiled and walked over to the wardrobe.

"How about I get you ready for the day? My lady wouldn't want to be kept waiting. Besides, I know you want answers," the man said.

Ciel looked down and clutched tighter on the sheets. "Yes…"

The man pulled out a long white sleeve shirt, black pants that reached just below the knee, white socks and black shoes. He placed these items on the bed and stood in front of the boy.

"Are you ready?" he said.

Ciel frowned slightly. "No…" He wasn't used to having someone else see his body even if it was a man. Heck, he still felt uncomfortable having Tanaka dress him, and he has known the old man since he was little; it wasn't that he couldn't trust him. It just felt weird.

"Then when will you be ready?" the man asked, slightly irritated.

"How would you like it if some random man started to dress you?"

"Well, that wouldn't happen since I know how to properly dress on my own."

"Then I can too."

"Very well. You dress yourself."

The man backed away and bowed before exiting the room, leaving Ciel behind. The boy was indeed shocked. He didn't really think the man was going to actually leave him. At least now he can dress himself and no one was here to look at him.

Ciel pulled the covers off him, shivering a bit from having himself exposed to the room temperature. He looked down to the clothes the man left behind and sighed. He picked up the shirt and began putting it on him. It was a bit big on him but nothing he couldn't handle. He grabbed the pants and struggled to put them on for a while before having them well around his waist. However, he was only able to put the shirt and pants on but knew nothing on how to properly button them up.

"Bloody hell…" Ciel mumbled as he fiddled with the shirt's buttons. He got a few done only to have them unbutton after noticing he wasn't buttoning them to their proper holes. He sighed in frustration and tried again only to receive the same result.

"My, don't you look pathetic."

Ciel jerked his head up and saw the man enter the room with a careless face as he approached the boy.

"W-what are you doing here?" Ciel said as he covered himself.

"I will not get scold at for taking you downstairs late," the man said as he began to button the boy's shirt.

Ciel pouted and decided to just let the man fix him up. It wasn't like he was going anywhere if he couldn't dress himself right. Besides, he wanted answers.

"Why did you bring me here?" Ciel asked, keeping a stare at the man.

"Did I not told you already? I brought you here because it's where I live," the man said. "And it was an order."

"Where is here?"

The man finished dressing the boy and stood up straight, looking like a tower to the boy. "My mistress had said she was going to give you everything she knows. I believe it is wise for you to hear what she has to say rather than hearing words spilling from my mouth."

Ciel frowned and got out of bed. "Very well. I want to talk with her now."

The man smirked. "Right this way."

The two exited the room and walked down the corridors. They were lit up by candle light, so they weren't as bright nor as dark, making it easy for people to see. The man led the boy through many corridors and many stairs that it made Ciel get a bit confused and ultimately forgot where they both started from. It really didn't matter to him, however, because he knew he was going to get out of this unknown place as soon as possible.

The man finally stopped and signaled the boy to walk inside a room. Ciel hesitantly stepped inside and looked around. There was a large table right in the center with some people already seated on it. The room was lit up by candle light as well and its crimson walls and carpet looked as though they were the color of blood. It was warm inside, though, giving it a welcoming feeling to the boy. However, the people already seated were not so welcoming.

"Don't pay attention to him. Of course he wants you."

"Oh! I know he does! Isn't that right, sweetie?"

"What about that other damned butler? Are you not attracted to him?"

"Well, yes, but if he one day pushes away my love, at least I know that I still have you."

"Idiots."

Ciel frowned at the unfamiliar people. He thought it was only going to be him and Alice, but he thought wrong. There were four others invited to eat breakfast, whoever they were which was something Ciel didn't like at all. He hated social gatherings whether it was a party or breakfast. Not to mention that he felt as though he had a disadvantage because he knew nothing of this place, then again he cannot lose his pride despite the position he was in.

"Are you not going to sit down?" the man whispered, his breath warm against Ciel's ear that it made him grow goose bumps.

"Uh…" But before any other words came out, Ciel was being pushed slightly by the man towards the table. The boy tried to push back, but it wasn't a surprise that the man was much stronger than him.

Just as he approached the table, one of the people seated, another man with glasses, had noticed him, ignoring the others and focused only on the boy. Ciel made eye contact for a while before having to look away, feeling uneasy.

"Right here," the man behind him said as he pulled out a chair and signaled the boy to sit down.

Right there and then, the other people talking had stopped talking and jerked their heads towards the new member. Ciel looked at the three people sitting right in front of him before turning away and sat down slowly on his seat. He was used to having to sit on the ends where he could see everyone and not have someone in front stare at him. Alas, this situation was different.

The man walked over to one end of the table and sat down, sitting with straight posture.

'Why does he get to sit there?' Ciel thought to himself but decided not to say anything. The three people in front and, he knew the other man with glasses just a seat away from him, were staring at him like he was some sort of new discovery, and it bothered him. Actually, in fact…almost everyone at the table was wearing glasses except for the man at the end and Ciel himself. Were they all near sighted?

Well, Ciel was getting tired of these strangers staring at them and was about to open his mouth to tell them to stop until someone else spoke.

"Ah! There you are."

Ciel turned his head towards the entrance to see Alice walk in with a smile on her face. She walked over to the table and sat down at the other end of the table, closest to Ciel. He was sure glad she was here. It seemed as though she was the most normal out of everyone in this room…kind of.

Alice looked around the table and rolled her eyes at seeing her people be disrespectful to the boy by keeping creepy stares on him. "Everyone! Stop staring!"

Upon hearing her voice, the people all shook their heads and sat straight in their chairs, all trying to look at something else other than Ciel.

Alice huffed. "Honestly, we have a guest over and this is how you treat him?" She turned to Ciel. "My apologies. Sometimes these goofs can act childish at times."

"It's…fine?" Ciel said as more of a question than a statement.

Alice brought her smile back on her young face. "Now, we will be receiving our breakfast anytime now. How about a proper welcome?" She cleared her throat and almost immediately her smile was replaced with a serious frown. "The Shadowhunters all welcome you to the London Institute, young one."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. He was beginning to think he was taken to the wrong place by mistake. "Shadowhunters? London Institute?"

* * *

**That is the end of this chapter.**

**Well, it appears that Ciel is being held as a guest in this place called London Institute whatever that is. He woke up from a dream and finds himself meeting Hannah and Alice. Alice is the head of the Institute and she promises Ciel to answer as much questions as she can during breakfast time. Then Ciel finds himself again with the mysterious man that saved him and brought him to this place. For some reason, the man hasn't introduced himself yet, so his name is still unknown, making him more mysterious. Later, Ciel is taken down to the dinner table for breakfast and finds himself being stared down by other four people all wearing glasses. Then Alice comes in and gives Ciel a warm welcome.**

**But...who and what are Shadowhunters and what about the London Institute? And what about those other people with glasses and the man with no name? And Alice and Hannah? Le gasp! So many unknown things! Will Ciel know the answers? Maybe. I don't know.**

**So, here are some quick notes. First, Hannah is the actual Hannah from the second season of Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler. Alice Liddell, took her name from the famous Alice from Alice in Wonderful because I'm in love with Alice: Madness Returns. She's a made up character, kinda like the Alice from the game but not entirely. And yes, she is the head and the mistress of both Hannah and the man with no name. We'll know more about her and the others in later chapters.**

**Tune in for more and please review. Thank you. ^_^**


	5. Chapter Four

**Here's the fourth chapter. Last time, Ciel woke up in a whole different place and met up with a woman named Alice along with others and especially the man who saved Ciel. Will Ciel receive all the answers he needs? We'll just have to see. Enjoy. ^_^**

**I also want to thank all the reviews people are leaving me. Thank you so much. They keep me pumped and wanting to write more for you guys. I love my readers. ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_Between two world life hovers like a star,_  
_'Twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge._  
_How little do we know that which we are!_  
_How less what we may be!_

**-Lord Byron, Don Juan**

* * *

"Shadowhunters? London Institute?" Ciel said with a raised eyebrow.

Alice nodded. "I am quite aware that most don't have a clue about either of those topics to which is why I am taking this time to explain as much as I can. But first, I will allow the rest of the members to introduce themselves, staring from my right side."

The first person on the right was a man with black, pentagonal shaped glasses, blonde hair with black hair dyed at the bottom and yellowish green sharp eyes. He wore a formal black suit with black gloves. He had on a small smirk as he rested his arms behind his head.

"The name is Ronald Knox," the man said. "Uh…is that all I say?"

"Yes. Thank you, Ronald. Next," Alice ordered.

The person next to Ronald was a woman with red framed glasses which were accessorized with a neck chain containing skulls, long red hair and the same colored eyes as Ronald. She wore a vest instead of a suit, black gloves, a red and white striped bow tie and a red coat slinging off her shoulders and wore it around her elbows. She grinned a toothy grin that contained sharp, pointy teeth.

"My name is Grell Sutcliff," the woman said…or man, Ciel wasn't sure anymore. All this time he had thought it was a woman but from hearing the person's voice, he wasn't sure anymore.

The man immediately following Grell cleared his throat, ready to give off his name. He wore rectangle shaped black glasses, neatly combed black hair and again the same eyes as the two people before him. He wore a suit just like Ronald except more formally fixed and the same black gloves were in place. He pushed his glasses into place.

"My name is William T. Spears," he said.

Ciel looked back at all the three people in front of him, Ronald, Grell and William. He easily remembered their names since they all had their own individual personalities shown through their outfits. Plus they were weird to the boy, so it shouldn't be hard to remember their names.

The boy turned over to the man sitting at the other end of the table. Now, he was guessing the next one to saw their name was the man since he was the next in line from how things were going. Ciel wanted to know the man's name though he had no reason as to why he needed to know, but he felt the urge of wanting to know of it badly.

"And my name is Claude Faustus."

Ciel blinked as he turned his attention to the man sitting on his side just two seats away from him. The man wore this framed glasses, slightly combed black hair and had golden eyes unlike the other three Ciel had met. He too wore a fine suit with a bow tie and white gloves unlike the black gloves the other three wore. He stared at the boy for a while before closing his eyes.

"Now that's all for right now though there might be others you might meet," Alice spoke.

Ciel turned back to look at the man at the other end and was about to say something about why he wasn't mentioned until a familiar woman entered the room.

"Breakfast time," Hannah said as she walked into the room with a cart filled with bowls of delicious soup along with three black cups that were covered with a black top.

"Lovely, Hannah," Alice smiled. "Oh, and this is Hannah Anafeloz."

Hannah smiled to Ciel as she went on one side of the table and began handing out the bowls.

"Now that you know our names, it would only be nice for us to know your name," Alice said as she was the first one to receive her bowl.

Ciel turned back to Alice and forgot all about the man with no name. "Uh…yes. I am Ciel Phantomhive."

Alice nearly dropped her spoon. "Ciel…Phantomhive?"

"Uh, yes."

"The Queen's Guard Dog?"

"Yes."

"My, I would had never thought you would ever come around this part of London. Do you know there's a big search for you going on as we speak?"

"I wouldn't find it inappropriate. I was absent from my position for a while."

Ciel looked over to the three people in front of him who had all received their bowls. He turned over to Hannah who was over by the man with no name. She handed him a black cup and a straw before moving down with Claude and handed him another cup. The boy wondered what were inside those cups, but he rather not ask.

"Speaking of this topic," Ciel began as he turned back to Alice. "Because I was taken out from the house I was kept in, whatever happened to the owner?"

"And here come the questions," Alice said. "Well, I did promise you answers, and I will give them to you. For that question, I believe you are talking about Mr. Black. It would appear that he disappeared without a trace. I had the butler over there go back and check the house once more and probably take down Mr. Black because he has been wanted for many crimes he had committed, yet there was no one in the house. It was left untouched, just like it was when it was abandoned."

"I see. He must've gotten away."

Hannah reached Ciel and placed a bowl in front of him. She smiled and walked over to the corner to place the cart before walking back to the table and positioning herself between Ciel and Claude with the black cup she had given herself.

Ciel looked down to the steaming bowl of chicken soup and could feel his mouth water. He hasn't eaten anything but bread and water for a month, and this was the first thing that might actually fill his stomach for once. He grabbed the spoon provided and took one taste. He could've died right there and then from how delicious this simple soup was.

"Yes. What a shame though. He's been wanted for such a long time and was right there but now he has gotten away," Alice said after swallowing a spoonful. "Who would've thought he was there. That house has been abandoned for some time now. I never thought it would actually be in use and for kidnapping purposes. By the way, how exactly did you get kidnapped, Lord…Phantomhive?"

Alice turned to look at Ciel who was gulping down spoonful after spoonful of warm soup like a starving child. It brought a smile to her face, happy to know she was able to provide some food for the boy.

"He must've been foolish enough to run up to a stranger that had candy for him," Grell spoke out with a snort.

"Kids do like candy," Ronald said. "I wouldn't find it the reason for his kidnapping."

"Grell, Ronald. Please be respectful. This is the Queen's Guard Dog you are talking about. He is no mere child," Alice said sternly. "It is almost like mocking me."

"Sorry, Lady Liddell."

Ciel finished the soup faster than anyone else in the table and sighed of relief and satisfaction as he wiped his mouth cleaned. He looked around the table to see that everyone was staring at him. A faint blush rushed to his cheek as he cleared his throat to rub it off.

Alice smiled. "I guess you were hungry after all."

"Yes…" Ciel said. "It was a fine soup."

"That's Hannah for you. Always bringing the best to the dinner table."

Hannah smiled at the compliment.

"Uh…yes. Anyway, I heard you asked me of how I was kidnapped, is that correct?" Ciel said.

"Indeed. Of course, I do not require you to answer me if you don't want to," Alice said.

"It's fine. Besides, it's only fair to know of my sudden disappearance since it seems that London is on a search for me," Ciel said. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could trust this woman. She did recognized him as the Queen's Guard Dog, something most authorities would acknowledge him by. "You see, I was to meet the Queen for a meeting of some sort. I was on my way and the next thing I knew was that I was brought down one carriage then taken to another then taken to a dark house by Mr. Black."

"Interesting. Have you not told the drivers to take you to the Queen's place?"

"I did, but I was brought to somewhere else. Mr. Black gave me a letter written from the Queen herself, telling me she trusted him to take care of me while she was away from business. What a bunch of lies I was told that day."

"How awful. But you wouldn't had known Mr. Black was not a man to be trusted, did you?"

"I never seen the man before. But because he gave me a letter from Her Majesty, I thought I could've trusted him."

Alice took another spoonful. "I see. From what you are telling me, I can come up with two conclusions. Either the Queen did wrote you that letter or it was forged."

Ciel looked down. "That's what I was thinking. It couldn't possibly been the Queen writing it though her writing was unmistakable."

"Lord Phantomhive, this is indeed strange. You see, I also received a letter from the Queen a while back."

Ciel jerked his head to Alice. "A letter from Her Majesty?"

"Yes. You see, I am also one of the Queen's right hand man, or girl in this case. While you are the Queen's Guard Dog, I happen to be the Queen's Dark Crow."

"What are you saying?"

Alice smiled slightly as she pushed her bowl away. "I believe it is time to explain to you about everything going on about this place you were brought in. Since you are Ciel Phantomhive and my supposed partner, it is only reasonable to give you as much about myself as I know about you."

Ciel hesitated. This woman or girl as Alice had said, she worked for the Queen? But he never heard of her before. The Queen never told him anything about having a partner in anyway. He thought he was the only one to have to deal with all the mischief people did in London. Even Scotland Yard didn't have anything on him. He had all the power the Queen granted him; he never thought there was a counter-part who also shared the same power.

"First, I will repeat what I told you before. I am Alice Liddell, the head of this London Institute," Alice began. "Just as you were given the power to keep London in check from any crimes, I was also given the same power by the Queen herself. As you are her Guard Dog, taking care of the crooks with normal crimes such as stealing, murder, human trafficking and whatnot, I am her Guard Crow, taking care of more supernatural crimes such as vampires taking too much blood from mundane, werewolves rampaging the town at night, grim reapers taking souls that should not be taken, and demons who devour souls at such high rates without building contracts with anyone."

Ciel sweat dropped. Was this girl serious? Supernatural crimes?

"I can tell by your face that you do not believe me," Alice said with a serious face. "I can tell you that I quite serious. Because you work on the surface, I am the one working undercover under the moon lit sky. That has been my family's job for generations now, and now I am here to take their place. Earlier, I've mentioned the Shadowhunters. That is the name was given to my family since these supernatural beings were like shadows to us, and we were the ones who hunt them down. The members sitting before you are all Shadowhunters though none of them belong to my family."

"And why is that?"

"Because all my family members had been murdered some time ago, leaving me as the only survivor. Alas, I couldn't continue my family's work by being the only one thus I went out to search for valid people who would assist me under my rule. Everyone here qualified."

Ciel frowned. So, this girl also had her family taken away from her. While Ciel's parents died, Alice had all her family gone. She was alone in this world being the only one from her family, yet here she was, still continuing her family's job on her own with the help of the people that were seated at this dinner table. Ciel could relate to her with that sort of information, yet he still found it hard to believe her story.

"So, your job is like mine where you have to seek out the guilty parties and punish them for their acts, however, you deal with supernatural beings," Ciel said, making sure.

"Yes. It is basically what you do. I do not understand why the Queen decided for us to never meet since we both do the same thing with a few different circumstances. I've been told of the famous Guard Dog and his Funtom Company and thought he seemed like a grand person to meet. My stories are kept usually between the Queen and I since we work in private, away from people knowing of our existence. However, my Institute is quite popular with the Downworlders, the supernatural beings."

This was a story Ciel did not expect to receive and still found it hard to believe the girl though she kept a straight face throughout the entire talk. But it was indeed strange that he never heard of her before.

"Now, I understand that you might still be a bit iffy about believing me or not," Alice said. "I cannot force you to believe me though I wish you did."

"Well, yes, you are right. I do not believe you, but I don't want to not believe you. You seem fairly a trusted person; you fed me and given me hospitality. However, that is not enough to prove to me that I can fully trust you," Ciel said with a stern face. "Who knows? You might be doing the same thing Mr. Black said he was going to do. Are you sure you are not another kidnapper?"

Alice's stone-hard, serious face cracked as a laugh escaped her mouth. Ronald, Grell and Hannah joined in the laugh while William, Claude and the man with no name simply held onto a smile. Ciel knew they were laughing at him, but he didn't care. Sometimes, he knew laughter was a way to hide the fear people had.

"Lord Phantomhive, would you honestly think that I would be one to kidnap you?" Alice said with a smile. "After everything I told you, things that almost no other person in London knows about me, you think I would kidnap you?"

"Very well. If you are no kidnapper, then you wouldn't mind telling me why I was brought here instead of turning me into the police to be taken back home?" Ciel said with a smirk, feeling confident he caught Alice.

"Simple, you are my evidence."

"Evidence? For what?"

"Well, I won't tell you until you believe me."

Ciel pouted. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Well then, it was nice knowing you all, I will take me leave now." Ciel stood up from his chair as the others stared at him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Since when were you given permission to leave?" Alice spoke.

"Since when were you given permission to keep me here? If you so respect the Queen and acknowledge me as her Guard Dog, it is only being considerate to let me go back home, is it not? Especially after having been known as missing for a long time."

"Well yes, but I told you are evidence, and I cannot let you leave just yet."

"My apologies, but I have a company to run and take care of while you sit here and play with all your weirdos at catching the vampires and whatnot. I am much too busy to be wasting anymore time."

Alice stood up from her chair and smashed her hand hard on the table, startling the other members but failed to startle Ciel. "I said you will not be leaving yet. I promise you will leave once I am done with you. Please, Lord Phantomhive."

Ciel frowned. "As much as you seem so respectful to me, it is not kind to be keeping an earl away from his duties for too long. I do have a job, you know, just as you do."

"That is why you must stay here for a bit longer and work with me."

"Work with you? Are you jesting?"

"Lord Phantomhive…" Alice reached down her dress and pulled out a wrinkled letter from inside her pocket. "…Remember that I told you I also received a letter from the Queen?"

Ciel turned over to the Alice and eyed the letter in her hand. It had the Queen's seal on it. "Yes. And?"

"You see, I believe she has been held captive and being forced to send off these ridiculous letters."

Ciel hesitated. "Her Majesty…being held captive?"

* * *

**Duh-duh-duh!**

**So, in this chapter, Ciel is introduced to the people in the Institute, Ronald, Grell, William, Claude and Hannah. It's been three chapters now and Ciel still doesn't know the man who saved him name. He's very mysterious indeed. Breakfast is served and they all eat while Alice explains almost everything to Ciel. She acknowledges him as the Queen's Guard Dog. She then tells Ciel a bit about what she does and to his surprise, she is the Queen's Dark Crow, who works the same job as Ciel only she deals with supernatural beings. Ciel still finds her to be a bit suspicious and even more reasons to doubt her after he wants to go back home and she refuses. Alice tells him she is her evidence, but for what? She then tells Ciel about her letter she received from the Queen and tells him that she is being held captive.**

**WHAT?! Since when?**

**Tune in for more and please review. Thank you. ^_^**


	6. Chapter Five

**Here's the fifth chapter. Last time, Ciel was discussing with Alice about important matters and ended up with the conclusion that the Queen had been kept hostage. What other things will be discussed? We'll soon find out. Enjoy. ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

_Pulvis et umbra sumus._

**-Horace, _Odes_**

* * *

"You cannot be serious," Ciel said with an unsatisfied face. "Why in the world would you think the Queen has been held captive?"

Alice waved the letter she had. "Then why would there be any other reason for these strange letters?"

Ciel frowned. "If the Queen has been held captive, there would've been a search for her. Is there?"

"No, but I believe it's the type of imprisonment that no one but herself and the one or ones keeping her know. You do know how the Queen rarely makes appearances to the public, am I right? People must think she is still in rule because no other saying has gone around to say she wasn't. These letters are proof."

"But how can they be proof if only people who work for her receive them? The others don't know. They may think we're crazy for thinking such thing if we spread the word of Her Majesty's kidnapping."

"True. But there must be more to this."

"So, you don't know anything but coming into conclusions. Exactly what women do."

A small knife flew towards Ciel but missed him just an inch as it flew passed him and landed on the wall behind him. Alice gave a frustrated look to Ciel as she put her hand down after throwing the weapon.

"I am sorry, but that was a rude thing to be saying to one who has taken you under her care and given you well hospitality," Alice said.

Ciel growled. "Hospitality? You're not even letting me go."

"Look, I told you that you are evidence that I need. After that, you are well to go. However, from what we were recently talking about, I believe it would be best if you stayed a bit longer with me."

Ciel crossed his arms. "And why should I?"

Alice waved the letter once more. "This letter was sent to me a few days back. The Queen ordered me to go search a land faraway from my place in order to catch a werewolf on the loose. I did as I was told, bringing two servants with me. We arrived at the place, only to find no sign of a werewolf invasion and thought the Queen was mistaken. However, I was attacked by these strange gargoyles and mechanical beings I never seen before. Luckily, I was protected by my servants and were able to kill off these creatures. I was taken back home to be notified that the same creatures came along to evade the Institute. Thankfully, my servants were here to defend this place. Then, a few more days after that, I've receive another letter, telling me about another invasion of a vampire gang. You could guess that the same thing happened with this one. I am finding it a bit suspicious for the Queen to be sending me such requests that are not even real and then being attacked by unknown creatures, don't you agree? It would apply to you as well. You were given a letter and you told me that the Queen wanted a meeting, only to end up getting kidnapped by Mr. Black, a man she supposedly trusted."

Ciel bit his lips. "Yes, you're right."

"I find it no mere coincidence, Lord Phantomhive. Her Majesty has been sending us false letters to distract us. It is her writing, I can assure that much, however, I don't understand why she is sending these letters to us."

"It's like she's being forced to write them."

"Like I predicted. We are the Queen's most powerful weapons; she would never try to kill us. Without us knowing, she must be held captive. Do you now understand what I am telling you?"

Ciel frowned, keeping a stare at the girl. "Her Majesty is held captive, and I believe you are asking for me to help out in knowing why and where she is."

Alice nodded. "Yes. She is our Queen. We cannot ignore the fact that she might be in danger and need our help. Now that you have been found, it would be easy to go about this with the two guardians dealing this task."

Ciel sighed. This was all so troublesome. Yes, everything that was talked about the Queen and the letters seemed to make sense, however, they didn't had enough evidence to prove it. He would be wasting time and look like a fool thinking the Queen has been kidnapped somehow if it wasn't true.

"Had you tried visiting her?" Ciel questioned.

"Multiple times. However, for some reason, I've been denied access. I could not enter more than five feet into her palace," Alice said.

"Why? Did you told her guards you worked for her?"

"I've told them though they should all know since I've visited the Queen before. It is strange to not be able to see the Queen, meaning there is something wrong."

Ciel sighed once more. He was just let out from a horrible imprisonment only to be brought back to thinking that maybe the Queen herself had been kidnapped. He examined Alice closely, trying to see a trance of deception. But the girl was so serious. She kept her stare locked on Ciel throughout the whole time. Maybe he could investigate her for a while and find out more about her. For all he knows, Alice is just as suspicious as Mr. Black was right now since he knows not much of her. There were just not enough people Ciel could trust at this moment.

"Very well. I'll stay," Ciel said. "However, would it be wrong if I go back to my mansion and let my servants know I am alright?"

Alice shook her head. "I'm afraid you can't do that, at least not now. You see, because this Institute is private, it should be kept that way. If you leave and come back, there might be a chance you will be followed, breaking our privacy. And since the search for you is still going, it would be more likely that people will want to know where you've been. We don't want so much attention."

Another reason of Alice being held suspicious to Ciel.

"I see. At least can I send a letter to my servants? I can trust them fully for them not to tell anyone else. They are a worry bunch, so I would like for them to be calm about my well being," Ciel said.

"A letter would be fine. However, what are you going to tell them?" Alice said.

"I will tell them that I am at a vacation spot for a while and will return shortly. I will assure them to now worry about me and order them to not tell anyone about my whereabouts."

"Very well. I'll take that."

"Thank you, my lady."

Alice smiled after a long time of holding the serious face. "Please, call me Alice."

Ciel looked to the small girl and felt a bit weird to be addressing her by her first name. She looked young, around his age, yet they weren't close enough to be calling each other by their first name like he does with his cousin, Elizabeth. She was the only noble he called by the first name only because Elizabeth was part of his family and had to be engaged to her.

"But you call me Lord Phantomhive. It would only be fair to address you equally," Ciel said.

"Then would you mind me calling you Ciel?" Alice cocked her head a little.

"Uh…well…no but-"

"Then Ciel it is." Alice stood proudly. "Besides, I think Ciel's a pretty name."

Ciel felt a faint blush go through his cheeks, but he looked away to hide it.

"Now, before I let you go off to write a letter, I would like to let you know something about my servants," Alice said, catching Ciel's attention once more. "We might be Shadowhunters who hunt down supernatural beings but, in fact, most of us are supernatural beings." She pointed to Ronald, Grell and William. "These are grim reapers, their jobs being to harvest the souls of the people that should be dead." She pointed to the left to Claude, Hannah and the man with no name. "These are demons, their jobs being to devour souls of the humans they come in contract with."

Ciel's eyes grew wide. After all this time, he has been eating with a group of grim reapers and demons? Then again, how does he know he is not being lied to?

Alice smiled. "I just thought to let you know since you might see them doing strange things, and it would just be best to let you know now than later. Plus, they are tamed beings; I tamed them myself, so they shouldn't be as ruthless as the wild ones. It's like fighting fire with fire, the good supernatural beings against the bad kind. Also, if you were wondering, I am the only human in this Institute, well, before you came."

Ciel examined all of the people sitting at the table. The suppose grim reapers all waved at him while the supposed demons smiled. But these people didn't look like monsters. They looked perfectly normal. Then again if supernatural beings do exist, wouldn't he be considered one since he could transform into one? Mr. Black trained him into changing into a demon though these demons at the table looked nothing like the demon he transformed into. These looked less menacing than he does when he changes. Did that make him more sinister than real demons?

"Now Ciel," Alice said, looking at the boy. "I understand that this must all be coming down on you pretty fast. However, as the young earl that you are, I'm sure you will get accustomed to it."

"But you still haven't explained to me as to why you consider me as evidence and why I must stay for that cause other than assisting you on finding the Queen," Ciel said.

Alice smiled. "I know. I will get to that after you write your letter. Since I am a very busy girl, I cannot stay with you at all times. During your stay, how about wanting to have a butler along to assist you in the meantime. I could not leave you without having some servant along with you since you are a grand noble."

"A butler you say?"

"Consider it as another gift of my hospitality." Alice turned to look straight in front of her. "Butler, under my orders, you will now be the butler of this boy from now on, understood?"

Ciel turned over to the man with no name as he stood from his chair and bowed slightly with his hand over his chest.

"Yes, my lady," he said.

"Very well. Everyone else, I suggest we leave them be for now. Butler, remember to help Ciel with the letter he needs along with giving him a tour of this place after he is done," Alice said as she stepped out from the table and began walking away. "Come everyone. They need to be alone for now."

Everyone else began to stand up and follow Alice out the room. Hannah stayed a bit longer, collecting the bowls, cups and cart before exiting the room, leaving Ciel and the man with no name behind.

"What?" Ciel whispered, wondering why he had to be left alone with the man.

The man smirked and walked towards the boy, causing Ciel to back a bit from the sudden approach.

"A-alright then. I suppose you heard your mistress. You are my butler as of right now," Ciel said as he leaned his head back a bit to look directly at the man's face. The boy had to admit that this was the tallest man he had to look up to this much.

"Indeed. However, I must make a contract with you before I can be officially assigned as your butler," the man said, looking down at the small boy before him. A small smile spread across his lips due to the fact that Ciel's sapphire eyes had to slightly turn up and have the candle light gleam down on them, almost having a strange hypnosis swirl to them that the man could not clearly explain.

"A contract? But you are not being officially hired to be the Phantomhive's butler. You are only temporary because I will not be staying here permanently. You are only serving me for a while due to your mistress' orders."

Just then, the room went dark for a while before the candles were lit up only this time, they held dark purple flame than the normal orange flame. Ciel stood a bit surprised from the sudden change the room went but kept a close eye on the man before him, wondering what in the world was going on.

"This special contract is only made directly with a demon and human," the man began. "The human wishes something from the demon, anything at all, and in return…" The man's red eyes glowed to a fuchsia, hazy color, and his pupils dilated down to serpent like, making Ciel have second thoughts about the man being an actual demon. "…the human gives up his soul."

Ciel hesitated and backed up a little. "Are you out of your mind? How dare you make such a contract with me? Your mistress only ordered you to be my butler for the mean time, and she said nothing of you making a deal with me about giving you my soul for something. You should not disobey her."

The man smirked. "My mistress did not clearly stated it, but it was something she knew I would do without her having to address it. Were you not listening to her earlier about a demon's job consisting of making contracts with humans in order to devour them?"

"That's insane! I never assigned myself for a demon butler to come aid me. I'm sure Alice didn't meant for you to do such thing. She only said to be my butler and nowhere did she say anything about making a contract with you."

"Then why do you suppose she left us all alone?"

"Well, I thought it was because we were suppose to, I don't know, get to know each other or something. Or maybe you were suppose to be giving me a tour of this place."

"Which is something I will do once I make the contract."

Ciel growled. "And why are you so eager to make a contract with me? Do you not have other people who wish for you? You know, people who believe in stuff like that?"

"Ah. But you are one of the few who wish for me."

"I would never."

The man disappeared for a mere second before reappearing behind Ciel and held tightly onto both the boy's wrists, pulling them behind his head.

"Unhand me, you vile being!" Ciel hissed as he tried to escape.

The man lowered his face close to the boy's and whispered right on Ciel's ears. "I'm sure you have one faithful wish you want to accomplish, something that you know you cannot do alone without the help of someone else. I can be more of an assistance than you alone. Tell me your wish."

Ciel growled. "My wish is for you to let me go and get me out of this place. If you cannot do that, then what kind of butler would you be?"

The man smirked. "You have quite the humor but now is not the time."

"Who said I was being funny?"

The man got closer to the boy, causing for their faces to touch, cheek against cheek. Ciel shivered from both fear and the cold feel of the man's skin, but he dared not showed he was afraid.

"As a dying wish, what would it be?" the man whispered, sounding more monster like than before.

Ciel struggled to get free, but he was no match against the man. He looked down to the floor and began to think of possible solutions to get out of this. He could called out for Alice to stop her "tamed" demon.

"Why do you wish to take my soul so badly?" Ciel whispered.

The demon smiled gently. Why did he wished to take his soul? He has taken many souls in the past before that it didn't matter who he ate. They were all the same to him. However, there was something about this boy's soul that was way different from all the rest. There was a strong sense of remorse and vengeance, something so cold and heartless that rested deep within the core. It was a soul unlike any other and the man just had to have a taste of it. It had to be the best soul he had ever encounter thus far. There was no way he was going to let it go away.

"I am a demon, after all, and my job is to make contracts with humans. I might not know you well enough, but I do know that there is something that you wish to get a hold of, something that you wish to fulfill. Though you might not admit it, I know you wish for help. I can tell by your eyes. I knew from the moment I rescued you from Mr. Black that you needed help more than ever and not just from the situation you were in but for something else. I want to know what it is, so I can put myself into use and aid you in your mission. You see, I am only being the secondary butler in this Institute. There hasn't been any actual job for me other than being the back up. At least allow me to have a role in this lifetime and make me of use," the man said, his sharp teeth growing due to lust filling inside his hollow body.

Ciel sighed in frustration. This demonic man was crazy though he had to admit that he was onto something. "If I tell you my wish, will you let me go?" He just wanted to be let go; he didn't care anything the man had told him except the part where he had to give up his soul but maybe that was something he had to risk just to see if all this demon stuff was real or not.

"Of course," the man said.

Ciel thought for a while. If this man was indeed a demon and would assist him in anyway possible, then he should be able to help the boy with the goal he has been pursuing for three years: avenging his parents. Still, he had no proof the man was a demon and could be a spy for Alice to bring out the worst out of Ciel, trying to make him uneasy and surrender. But he really had no reason to not speak out his mission; he was sure most people knew about it. Maybe he should tell this man just how serious he is about getting the hell out of this place and be given access to leave on his journey; he should show how strong and powerful he is and his reason to never back away from an enemy.

"I want to avenge my parents," Ciel began. "I want to seek out those that had murdered them and humiliated me in the past. I want to have more power than anyone else in the world. I want people to fear me."

The man smirked the biggest smirk he had given this day. This boy had such a fine sense of revenge; he was thirsty for it, been longing it for a long time. He had felt this boy's soul before and knew it was a very strong, savory one. It was one of the rare ones that he, himself, had been waiting for. There had not been any other soul he had eaten that would be as appetizing as this boy's. Now that he was given the boy's eternal wish, the demon could only feel elated.

"Very well. That you shall have. Now…" the man let go of Ciel's wrists and stood in front of him. His left hand forcefully was placed over the boy's right eye, a stinging pain going through it, causing Ciel to wince. "…you will have to bare the cursed mark and our contract will be fulfilled."

Ciel suddenly felt pain unlike any other, and it caused him to scream, trying to remove the man's hand from his eye. But the pain was much too strong for the boy that is caused him to faint. The man held onto Ciel before he fell to the floor and the room's light had come back once more, looking normal as before.

The man carried Ciel in his arms and looked down to his face. He smiled as he wiped the spilled blood streaming down the boy's eye with a single finger.

"I must apologize for the pain, but it was only part of the ritual. The more noticeable the mark, the stronger the contract is. You are indeed a lucky human," the man said.

The man carried Ciel out from the room and walked over to the bedroom assigned for the boy. He gently placed Ciel down on the bed and covered him with the bed sheets, making sure he was comfortable. The man smiled upon seeing the boy's sleeping face twice this week.

"You do look like a sleeping angel, just as my mistress had said," the man said. "How ironic. A supposed angel making a contract with a demon. You appear to be more like a fallen angel to have done such a thing. Even though you had the right of not making the contract with me no matter how much I insisted, you gave up to the temptation, did you not? But do not worry, I will not fail you."

The man headed towards the door and opened it half way before turning back to look at the boy, formed a smile, then walked out.

"Sleep well, my lord."

* * *

**Well, what do you know?**

**So, first Alice and Ciel had come together with an agreement that the Queen had indeed been captured and they will have to join forces in order to find her. Then Alice granted Ciel a butler of his own in the meantime since he still cannot leave the Institute. The man with no name was the one to take the position. Then Alice revealed that her servants were grim reapers and demons, meaning that the man with no name was a demon assigned to Ciel. Ciel was still unsure that everything Alice had told him was true, however, the man with no name seemed to have given him proof of his being a demon that the two made a contract, something not satisfactory to Ciel.**

**What will become of these two and what plan are Ciel and Alice going to go through in order to find the Queen?**

**Tune in for more and please review. Thank you. ^_^**


	7. Chapter Six

**Here's the sixth chapter. Last time, Ciel was to stay in the Institute until other word is given to him. Alice assigned the man with no name to be Ciel's butler although the demon took it to another extreme as he sensed Ciel's yummy soul and formed a contract with him, a forced one it seemed. What shall happen next? We'll see. Enjoy. ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

_This is one of the two great labyrinths into which human minds are drawn: the question of free will versus predestination._

**― Neal Stephenson, Quicksilver**

* * *

Clattering noises disturbed the boy's sleep as he opened his eyes and sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Ciel looked around and instantly recognized the room to be the one he was in before when he first saw Hannah and Alice. The curtains were opened, so sunlight was streaming in to light up the room. He was covered with the scarlet covers of the bed that felt so soft almost like a cloud, if Ciel ever been on top of a cloud.

Ciel sheepishly turned his head over to the wardrobe to see the man with no name pulling out and putting in clothes. At first, the boy did not care of the man being here and wanted to ignore him until he remembered the awful incident that happened between the both of them and instantly pointed an accusing finger to the man.

"You!" Ciel declared.

The man blinked and turned towards the boy's direction. He smiled, seeing his newly formed master awake. "Well, good afternoon, my lord."

Ciel hesitated and wanted to go towards the man and slap him as hard as he could. "I hate you. That contract was made, wasn't it?"

"Yes, the contract was made."

"Tch. You wicked thing."

The man stopped his work and moved over to the side of the bed, still smiling. "You seem to be in a very bad mood, young master."

"What do you think? And why are you suddenly addressing me as 'young master'?"

"I am your butler, remember? You are my lord."

"Tch."

The man found the boy's anger very amusing and found no reason as to why. His mistress had scowled him once, but it wasn't an experience he liked. However, with this boy, it was simply adorable.

Ciel gave a nasty frown to the man. He was incredibly angry with him, having to had formed the contract. It was no intention of his to have done it. He didn't want some crazy demon to be following him everywhere until he eats the boy's soul. He was going to have a word with Alice.

"Why am I here? Wasn't I in the dining room with you?" Ciel said, not looking at the man anymore.

"You were about three hours ago," the man said as he walked back to the wardrobe. "You seemed to had fainted."

Ciel raised a hand to cover his right eye. He remembered the pain that went through it, a pain unlike any other. "It was because you did something to my eye that caused me to have an unbearable pain. Whatever did you do?"

"Why not look at the mirror in front of you, my lord?"

Ciel did as he was told. He tiled his head up and looked directly at the mirror up front. His left eye was okay, still holding the same sapphire as always. His right eye was a mixture of purple and blue with a pentacle craved in it. That was…not normal.

"Bloody hell!" Ciel growled as he got out from bed and rushed towards the mirror, making sure he wasn't seeing things. "What the hell did you do to my eye?! What is this?!"

The man chuckled. "It's simply a mark to ensure the contract was made. You see, I have one as well."

Ciel turned over to the man as he took off his glove with his mouth and showed his left hand to the boy. It had the same pentacle stained in the perfect, pale skin only this one was a much darker hue of purple than the one in Ciel's eye.

"You seem to be so calm about this, aren't you?" Ciel hissed. "I told you that I never wanted to make such a deal with you. Now I have to walk around with this thing in my eye. I hate you."

"You're so harsh, young master. Though it was an action you committed yourself." The man reached down to his pocket and pulled out a black eye patch. "I knew you wouldn't had wanted to go around with the mark on your eye, so I took the initiative to get you this eye patch to cover your eye in the meantime until the contract is fulfilled."

The man walked over to Ciel and carefully placed the eye patch over his master's right eye. Ciel wiggled under the man's hold, but the eye patch was still placed on him. He looked back once more at the mirror and gave out a frown.

"Great. All because of you, now I have to walk around with this thing on my eye. Just great," Ciel said as he shook his head.

The man smiled. "You'll get accustomed to it, my lord. But, without further ado…" He walked over to the writing desk in the room and pulled out a piece of paper with a writing utensil neatly place beside it. "I believe you wanted to write a letter to your servants, am I correct?"

Ciel sighed and decided to not dwell much on the fact that he was now sealed by contract with a demon, though it's going to take him some time, and walked over to where the man stood.

"Yes," Ciel said.

"As you are writing your letter, I will be putting in clothing that will fit you properly unlike the ones you have right now in the wardrobe. The other clothing I will remove. If you will so like to, I may assist you into putting on new clothes," the man said.

"Maybe later once I am done with my letter."

The man bowed slightly. "Understood." Then he walked back to the wardrobe and went back to what he was doing.

Ciel stared at the man for a while, thinking how bizarre his life had suddenly taken a turn with beings such as demons to cross his path. What was more strange was the fact that this supposed demon was acting just like any other human being. He was exchanging clothing with other that would fit him, an activity that demons shouldn't be doing or at least what Ciel thought. His mind went back to the old times where Mr. Black was training him to transform into a demon, a hideous figure the boy tried to forget. But the demon in front of him was not a monster but an actual handsome butler. It still felt strange to even acknowledge him as a demon, yet Ciel could not forget the contract made, and that could be proven with the pentacle carved in his right eye.

Ciel shook those thoughts away in the mean time and walked towards the desk. He needed to tell his servants, mostly Tanaka, that he was okay. He sat down on the desk and grabbed the writing utensil provided. He began writing about his well being then paused.

Ciel turned over to look at the man who was folding up the unused clothes on the bed. The boy thought of writing to his servants that he was kept in an institute and would like for them to come get him. However, Ciel had no idea where this place was located. He could tell them to search around then again, Alice had told Ciel that this place was kept private, meaning no one but the inhabitants of this place knew about their whereabouts. Still, Ciel said he wasn't going to tell his servants where he was but tell them a lie about being on vacation. He had told Alice this and was meant to be a promise. Even so, it wasn't like Alice was going to get a hold of this letter and read it…or at least that's what Ciel thought. Ciel still hadn't been exposed to how these supernatural beings really were. They might somehow read his mind without knowing and know if he's lying or not. Then again, Ciel thought how he could stay here to observe and gather information about Alice, the Institute and maybe the Queen herself.

"My lord, is there something the matter?" the man said as he raised an eyebrow at the boy staring at him.

Ciel blinked twice before shaking his head and turning back to his writing. "Nothing's the matter."

The man smiled. "Very well then."

Ciel decided to just write what he initially thought of writing, telling his servants he was on vacation and making sure they won't tell anyone else about his whereabouts. Once he finished, he folded the letter and placed it inside the envelope provided. He wrote the address on the front before he stood up from the desk and turned to the man.

"I have finished my letter," Ciel said.

The man gathered the folded clothing with one arm and held out the other to Ciel. "I will take the letter and send it right away."

Ciel handed the man the letter. The man placed it inside his pocket and bowed slightly.

"Young master, I was wondering if you would like to change clothes with ones that fit and suit you," the man said.

Ciel looked down to his over sized shirt and pants. "I suppose so. If I need to walk anywhere, I don't want to go around, holding onto my pants to keep them from falling off."

"Very well." The man walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a nice blue suit, very well suited for a noble that seemed to be the perfect size for the boy. He also pulled out white underwear from the drawer in the wardrobe, small enough for Ciel to fit in.

Ciel bit his lips, thinking how he has to be changed by this man once more. He knows he'll have to get used to it though it might take him some time. The man walked over to him, placed the clothing down on the bed and began to take the boy's shirt off. Ciel shivered under the touch of the man over his slim body. The man quickly placed the other shirt over him along with the blue suit. The movement was quick and gentle, almost like the man has been doing this his whole life. Ciel thought back to how Tanaka, despite having the time to change him for the past three years, still struggled to put on his clothes. It must be of age.

After the top was put on, the man pulled down Ciel's shorts and underwear, exposing Ciel to him. A faint blush brushed across the boy's cheeks, turning his head away to avoid having the man see him. He had the urge to put his hands over himself and was about to do it too, having one hand making its way down but stopped half way after feeling the hands of the man pulling up the new underwear on him along with the shorts.

The man pulled out a nice black ribbon from his pocket and began to tie it around his master's neck, creating a small perfect bow. He then signaled the boy to sit on the bed, so he can place black knee length socks on his legs. Ciel did as he was told and let the man put him the socks. Throughout all this, Ciel began to wonder if this man had any thoughts about having to dress him from now on. He was now his butler for who knows how long. Did the demon really wanted to do this?

"You must be desperate for my soul…" Ciel whispered.

The man was putting on his shoes. "Why say that, young master?"

"Being a butler is not an easy job especially being one for a younger master such as myself. Most older nobles are fine with dressing themselves and doing most of the things on their own."

"I do not mind having to do the extra work for you."

Ciel looked up to the man once he had finished putting on the shoes and was standing tall before the boy. "Meaning you really are desperate."

The man smiled. "If that is what you want to call it. I merely thought of it as wanting to help."

"But I am just someone you met a day before. I would had not wanted to becoming someone's butler if I just met them a while back. You really are a cold blooded demon."

"I understand you do not like me. Very understandable. But the contract has been placed and there is nothing that can be done other than having me as your butler until you fulfill your wish. That appears to be my only motivation."

"But why me?"

The man stared down to the boy who had stopped looking at him. He could answer with telling him straight up that the boy's soul was one he wanted to take for himself and really didn't care about accomplishing his wish but something told him to not tell him or at least not now. Instead he raised a hand over his chest and bowed slightly.

"I will turn in this letter. In the mean time, I had made you some scones and a cup of Earl Grey tea if you wanted something for your afternoon snack," the man said as he pointed over to the small desk besides the bed.

Ciel turned over to the desk to see the food but frowned upon not having an answer to his previous question.

"I suggest you stay in your room until I return, my lord. I will give you a tour once I come back," the man said as he walked over to the door and opened it.

"Demon."

The man turned around to look at his master still sitting in the bed. "Yes?"

"What is your name?" Ciel questioned.

"As of right now, I have no name. You may call me whatever you want."

Ciel examined the man. He had no name this whole time, no wonder he wasn't introduced back at the dining table. It would only make sense to not have a name being a demon and all. But right now, Ciel had no name he could give to him. It was almost like the demon was putting himself in the position of not only being his butler but also his property.

"Just go send the letter," Ciel said.

The man smiled and bowed once more. "Yes, my lord" With that, he left the boy alone.

Ciel though about what name he could give to the demon and was actually thinking up names until he realized that he was left alone. He dared not taste the scones and tea the man had left behind because he didn't knew what they contained. So instead, he headed towards the door and opened it, peeking his head out to see if the hallways were clear. The candle lit corridors were empty, no supernatural being anywhere in sight.

Ciel got out from the room and headed down the corridors. He sneaked from one to another one, trying hard not to disturb any of the rooms he passed by. He went down some spiral stairs and down to many other corridors that looked the same as the other ones. He was beginning to think that he was going around in circles as if this place was a labyrinth of some sort. He didn't felt like he was getting closer to the exit.

Ciel was going to give up and return back to his room until he forgotten where exactly he came from. "Bloody hell…" He wasn't worried that someone might find him and maybe get scowled though. Although he was worried that they might do the same thing Mr. Black was doing to him. That's the only concern he had.

"Are you lost, little one?"

Ciel gasped a bit as he turned around to see a figure walk up to him from within the shadows. After he got his eyes adjusted, the boy could see that the figure was yet another demon, Claude.

"Little one? How dare you call me such thing," Ciel frowned as he stood his ground with a glare at the man.

Claude adjusted his glasses as his piercing golden eyes stared back down to Ciel. "Pardon me. However shall I call you then?"

"I am Ciel Earl Phantomhive. The least you can do is address me properly, shouldn't matter if you're a human or not."

Claude smirked. "Lord Phantomhive it is."

Ciel glared at the man before him. It was strange how Claude didn't even attack him or yelled at him for being here all on his own.

"Where is your supposed butler? I thought he was to escort you through the Institute?" Claude said as he looked around. "It looks like he isn't doing a very good job."

"I don't need him to escort me anywhere but out of this place," Ciel said straight forward.

Claude smirked. "You know you aren't allow to get out until my mistress is done with you."

"I don't care of your mistress. She has no reason to keep me in here."

"Then I believe you should stay until she explains herself."

"Tch." Ciel had to admit Claude was right. Maybe he should stay and see what Alice has planned for him. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to go anywhere with Claude and the messed up place this was. All he can really do is wait.

"Fine. I suppose I'll stay. However, it would appear that I am lost and can't find my way back to my room," Ciel said as he crossed his arms. "I don't suppose you'll help me get back, are you?"

The man grinned. "Is that an order, Lord Phantomhive?"

"An order? Well, I suppose it is. What else is there trying to escape?"

Claude nodded. "Very well. I shall take you back to your room."

Ciel and Claude walked through the many confusing corridors. Ciel tried to keep them all together so maybe the next time he would know where he has been and where they all lead to. He was surprised Claude knew where he was going then again Ciel thought the man must've lived here in a long time to already have the corridors in tacked. After a few minutes, both of them where already in front of the room where Ciel had to dwell in.

"Please do wait here until my mistress gives you further instructions," Claude said. "Do not go around the Institute without having at least someone to guide you."

"Must I wait for long until your mistress comes to entertain me with her stories?" Ciel said as he crossed his arms. "Or for that other demon to come around after delivering the letter I gave to him?"

Claude smirked. "I will make sure to tell my mistress that you are in a hurry. And for that other demon, I'm sure I would've done a better job at delivering the letter quicker than he. I'm not sure why he was assigned as your butler than me."

Ciel frowned. "I don't fine a reason on why it should matter. Now be gone. I can handle on my own now."

Claude felt a strange, wonderful sensation going through him. This boy, oh how lovely he was to the demon. Though he hadn't gotten so close to him, he can already sense the strong soul the boy had. It was unlike any other soul he has eaten, a very massive one indeed. He grew envy of the other demon to had gotten the opportunity to serve this fine soul. He wanted to devour him right there and then, knowing the young earl couldn't do much, however, he knew he was unable to. He sensed the other demon's presence on the boy, meaning there was a contract made. There was anger and sadness mixed as one, knowing that his closest comrade had taken claim of such fine soul while he had to deal with the normal ones. He couldn't go against the other demon. They were partners.

"Whatever are you staring at?" Ciel said as he cut through Claude's thoughts and he glared up to the demon. "Stop it, you're being disrespectful."

Claude blinked twice before bowing slightly. "My apologies, Lord Phantomhive. I just…realized you had an eye patch on you. I was wondering if that other demon hurt you in anyway."

Ciel covered his right eye with his small hand. "I can't honestly say if it was to hurt me or save me, nevertheless, you do know about a demon making contracts with humans, am I right?"

Pretending he knew nothing about the contract he knew was already made, Claude gave out a disapproving look. "No, he made a contract with you? How dare he? I find that most disrespectful especially to have done it with you, a noble and guest."

Ciel narrowed his eyes, only one being noticeable. "Are you meaning to say he had disobeyed some sort of-"

"I am glad that you wanted to entertain my young master while I was gone, Claude."

Ciel and Claude turned their heads to see the other demon stroll down the hallway and towards them with a simple smile.

Claude grinned. "He was being a bit sneaky, you see. He was trying to make his way through the Institute without a tour guide."

The other man turned to the boy. "Is that so? Young master, I thought I told you to stay in your room until I arrived. Are you that impatient?"

Ciel frowned as he turned towards his room's door and went inside.

"He seems troubled," Claude said.

"Of course he is. All this must be too much to take in," the man said.

Claude nodded then began walking away. "Do take care of him. He seems to be such a fragile creature."

"I was ordered to be his butler just as you were ordered to be our mistress' butler. I will protect him with all my life."

Claude said no other word as he disappeared among the shadows. _'Then you must protect him at all cost, demon. I cannot guarantee you that our bond will last forever, not with that soul you made a contract with,'_ he thought to himself.

The other demon entered the room where his master would be waiting for him.

"Sebastian Michaelis," Ciel said as the demon took a step in his room.

"Pardon?" the man said with a raised eyebrow.

"Your name shall be Sebastian Michaelis," Ciel repeated as he was now eating the scones and tea provided. During his talk with Claude, he had names rushing through his head and the name was finalized.

The demon, now newly named as Sebastian Michaelis, smiled as he raised a hand over his chest and bowed slightly, acknowledging his master's control over him by the new given name.

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

**And finally, the man with no name has a name which is Sebastian Michaelis. I know most of you knew it was him.**

**So, Ciel woke up after the faint he had to notice that he indeed made a contract with the demon and didn't seem to like it one bit. But there isn't much that he can do, can he? After writing his letter and giving it to Sebastian to send it, Ciel decided to walk around the Institute and see if he can escape only to be caught by Claude. Claude takes Ciel back to his room and "falls in love" with the boy's soul. Sebastian comes back and Claude leaves the master and butler behind.**

**Tune in for more and please review. Thank you. ^_^**


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